Method

• To make the Wild Garlic Pesto – wash the wild garlic leaves thoroughly. Dry them in a salad spinner or blot with kitchen towel and leave to air-dry on a clean tea towel.
• Place the wild garlic, cheese, pistachios, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the wild garlic leaves are very finely chopped.
• With the motor running, trickle in the olive oil a little at a time.
• Transfer the pesto to a clean jar. Top with an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Seal and transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
• When ready to cook the pasta – bring a pan of generously salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook according to the pack instructions, until ‘al dente’. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the pasta water for later. Drain and return the tagliatelle to the saucepan.
• Add the whole jar of Wild Garlic Pesto plus the reserved pasta water, extra virgin olive oil and butter. Toss the tagliatelle mixture over a medium heat, to coat the pasta, melt the butter and to warm through. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Add the sliced Black Garlic at the very end.

To Serve: using a large fork or tongs, transfer the pesto pasta to warmed pasta bowl(s). Garnish with wild garlic flowers, shaved Parmesan cheese and a grinding of black pepper.

Top Tip: the addition of pasta water to the final mixture helps bind everything together which results in a richer, creamier, cohesive sauce.

Notes:  if foraging for wild garlic then do so sustainably by taking only what you need, picking the leaves from various plants and locations rather than in one clump. Wild Garlic is a protected species; never dig up the bulbs of wild garlic and always ask permission of the land owner. Pick the bright young green leaves, slightly off track rather than on the edge of the path and always wash the wild garlic and flowers thoroughly.